U.S. History
Chapter 14
Manifest Destiny
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Oregon Country
• Oregon Country included present day Oregon,
Washington, Idaho, and parts of Wyoming, Montana, and
Canada
• It ran from the Pacific to the Rockies
• Many people moved to this area looking for new wilderness
for trapping and new lands
• Russia, Great Britain, Spain, and the U.S. claimed the area
(mainly U.S. & Great Britain)
• 1818 Great Britain and U.S. agreed to share the territory
for 10 years. Spain & Russia gave up claims in 1825
• Fur Trading companies from both countries pushed into the
area and the population began to boom
• A rough type of explorer emerged from this known as
mountain-men
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Mountain Men
• Trapped fur bearing animals to make a living
• Led a rough and lonely life.
• Moved constantly carrying only what they needed
to trap and survive.
• In the summer they went to the rendezvous
where they sold their furs and relaxed
• These men explored new lands and found paths
that led to the settlement of the west
• Soon settlers began to fill the area.
• Fashions changed and Mountain Men found
themselves out of work. Many became guides on
the Oregon Trail, which was now the main route
across the continent. It ran from Independence,
Missouri, to the Columbia River in Oregon
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Jedediah Smith's party crossing the desert
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Oregon Fever
• Between 1840 & 1860 more than 60,000
people traveled the Oregon Trail
• Families loaded wagons called prairie
schooners and traveled together in wagon
trains.
• Groups left in spring and had 5 months to
get there or you may freeze in the Rockies
• Many died along the trail from disease and
accidents. Many turned back before
reaching Oregon
• Native Americans traded with the travelers
and helped them (contrary to stories they
were not violent)
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The Oregon Trail Albert Bierstadt, 1869
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Independence, Missouri
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The Doomed Donner Party
Of the 83
members of the
Donner Party,
only 45 survived
April, 1846 – April, 1847
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Oregon Fever
• Many American wanted to annex Oregon.
• 1844 James K. Polk campaigned for president
with the slogan “Fifty-four forty or Fight”
(meaning extend the U.S. border to 54°40’ or
fight.
• Polk won the election and negotiated with
Great Britain. 49° was recognized as the U.S.
northern boundary and Oregon became a
territory
• Oregon became a state in 1859
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James Knox Polk
“Young Hickory”
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54’ 40º
or
fight
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1844 Election
Dems --> James K. Polk
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Whigs  Henry Clay
Liberty Party  James
Birney
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Texas and Mexico
• In early 1800’s Spain wanted more settlers in
Texas so they gave land to empresarios (people
who agreed to bring in settlers)
• Moses Austin was given land and promised to
bring 300 families to the area. He died, but his
son, Stephen F. Austin carried out his plan
• In the early 1820’s Mexico won its independence
from Spain. Citizens in Mexico were given land,
but promised to obey Mexican law and the
Catholic religion
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Stephen F.
Austin
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Conflict in Texas
• Austin’s colony was the most successful in Texas.
The people were hand picked by him and they
promised to be loyal to Mexico
• Thousands of U.S. citizens poured into Texas without
Mexico’s permission, and they did not promise to
obey Mexican laws and religion
• One issue was slavery. Mexico prohibited it, but it
was used heavily in Texas so Mexico eventually
allowed it in Texas
• The U.S. settlers also began wanting more of a voice
in government (like they had in the U.S.).
• To stop this problem, Mexico banned Angloimmigration in 1830
• This angered Texans and many talked about
separating from Mexico
• In 1833 Stephen Austin went to Mexico City and
demanded a repeal on the ban and the creation of a
separate Texas state
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Texas Independence
• General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna was the head
of the Mexican Govn’t. He refused to let Texas leave
Mexico.
• Austin told Texas to push for statehood anyway.
Santa Anna put Austin in jail
• Santa Anna suspended the Mexican constitution and
began ruling as a dictator
• Santa Anna sent troops to capture San Antonio (town
in Texas). In Dec. 1835, Texas volunteers drove the
Mexican troops out of San Antonio
• The Texas Revolution had begun
• March 2, 1836 Texans created the Republic of Texas
and placed Sam Houston in command of the army
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Santa Anna
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Sam Houston
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Republic of
Texas
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The Alamo
• In San Antonio many Texas volunteers defended and
took cover in an empty mission called the Alamo
• William Travis, Jim Bowie, & Davy Crockett were
among the Texans
• The mission was shelled for 12 days by Mexican
soldiers
• On March 6, 1836 Santa Anna ordered an all out
attack
• Crockett and his sharpshooters dropped many
Mexicans, but there were to many
• Mexican troops stormed the mission and killed all the
men (some women, children, and slaves survived)
• Travis was shot, Bowie died fighting from his sickbed,
and Crocket was executed.
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The Siege of the Alamo
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Alamo
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Alamo
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William Travis
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Davy Crockett
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Davy Crockett
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Jim Bowie
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Goliad and San Jacinto
• Mexican troops captured and executed Texans as
they fled a Fort in Goliad
• Sam Houston did not immediately retaliate after the
Alamo and Goliad. He built his army
• April 21, 1836 Houston and his troops attacked the
Mexicans on the west side of the San Jacinto River.
• This was the Battle of San Jacinto
– Battle lasted 18 minutes and 600 Mexican soldiers were
killed
– Texans hollered “Remember the Alamo” as they charged
into battle
• Santa Anna slipped away during the fighting, but he
was captured the next day.
• May 14, 1836 Santa Anna was forced to sign a peace
treaty and forced to sign a treaty supporting Texas
Independence. The war was over
• Sept. 1836, Sam Houston was elected president of
the Republic of Texas
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Battle of
San
Jacinto
Monument
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Annexation of Texas
• U.S. officially recognized Texas in 1837 and asked to
become part of the U.S., but the U.S. refused b/c
many northern states didn’t want another slave state.
• Texas & Mexico constantly quarreled over
boundaries & territory & continually attacked one
another
• Many Americans wanted to annex Texas and
complete the idea of “Manifest Destiny” (a destiny to
expand across the continent)
• 1844 James K. Polk was elected President with
Manifest Destiny as his political platform
• Outgoing President John Tyler asked Congress to
annex Texas in Feb. 1845.
• Dec. 1845 Texas became the 28th state of the U.S.A.,
but problems now began between Mexico and the
U.S.
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War With Mexico
• Pres. Polk asked Mexico to recognize the Rio Grande
as the Texas/Mexican border. He also tried to
purchase California and New Mexico
• Mexico was insulted and refused to negotiate
• Polk sent Gen. Zachary Taylor and troops just north
of the Rio Grande. Mexico considered this Mexican
Territory.
• In April 1846, Mexican soldiers attacked American
soldiers and Polk asked for a declaration of war. He
got it on May 13, 1846
• Many accused Polk of starting the war on purpose
and were very upset over it, but most Americans
supported the war
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General Zachary Taylor at Palo Alto
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General Zachary
Taylor
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Mexican-American War
• Gen. Taylor and his forces fought battles and
carried themselves into Mexico.
• American Gen. Winfield Scott also won many
battles inside Mexico
• Santa Anna rallied his troops many times and
gained the upper hand, but the U.S. always
regained the upper hand.
• In New Mexico and California, Americans
revolted against the Mexican Government
• In summer 1846, Californians hoisted a hand
made flag with a grizzly bear on it and
announced the creation of the Bear Flag
Republic
• In. Jan. 1847 Mexicans surrendered California
and the U.S. claimed it as a territory
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Gen. Winfield Scott
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Original Bear
Flag Republic
Flag
John C. Frémont
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Bear Flag Republic Flag
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War Ends
• Feb. 2, 1848 Mexico signed the Treaty of
Guadalupe Hidalgo
– Mexico ceded (gave up) California & New Mexico
(included present day California, Nevada, Utah,
parts of Arizona, Colorado, Wyoming, and New
Mexico). This is called the Mexican Cession
– U.S. paid $15 million for this land
• America also bought a small section of land
in the Southwest from Mexico. This was
known as the Gadsden Purchase
• Mexicans in these lands had the choice of
moving into Mexico or becoming American
citizens
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Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo, 1848
Nicholas Trist,
American Negotiator
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Mexican Cession Map
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United States after the Mexican
American War
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Mormons Move West
• Joseph Smith created the Mormon religion in the
1820’s.
– Their beliefs drew much criticism and anger from others.
– They moved from New York to Ohio to Missouri and then
Illinois.
– 1844 Smith was killed by a mob
• Brigham Young took lead of the religion and led the
Mormons west for protection.
• Settled in the Salt Lake Valley
• Mormons built a large farming community
• Young was named Governor of the Utah Territory by
Congress
• 1896 Utah became the 45th state of the United States
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Joseph
Smith
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Brigham
Young
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Mormon Frontier settlement
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California Gold Rush
• Jan. 24, 1848 John Marshall found gold
near Sutter’s Mill along the American River
in Northern California.
• Thousands of people rushed to California
to “strike” it rich. These people were
called Forty-Niners, b/c they moved to
California in 1849.
• People came from all around the world.
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Sutter’s
Mill
John Sutter
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California Gold Rush, 1849
49er’s
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Life in California
• Temporary mining towns were set up throughout
California.
– Most people mined, but some created business to cater to
the miners.
– No law or police. People practiced vigilante justice (law
without judge or jury)
• In 1849 California asked to be admitted to the U.S. as
a free state. They entered in 1850
• Many African-Americans moved to California for
freedom and wealth. Many found wealth but were
not given their rights
• Native Americans were removed from their lands.
– Many died of disease and labor use.
– By 1858 eight Reservations were created in California
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Chinese and End of the Gold Rush
• Many Chinese traveled to California for the Gold
Rush, but American Miners were alarmed and put
restrictions on immigrants
• Immigrants had to pay a mining tax. This drove
many Chinese out of mining, so they opened
businesses such as Chinese laundries and
restaurants (led to Chinatown in San Francisco)
• By the 1850’s the Gold Rush died. Many of the fortyniners stayed in California and became farmers.
– Many of the towns were abandoned and became ghost
towns.
– Some continued searching for gold throughout Canada and
later Australia
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Chinatown Street scene
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